In My Veins
by HanaKimiCali
Summary: Ten years down the line, Blaine gets his invitation to his 10 year high school reunion and everything comes rushing back. Memories flash through his mind as he prepares to see everyone from McKinley again, but more importantly, Kurt Hummel.
1. I Gave You All

It had been years since Blaine had thought of his high school years. Like most people at the age of twenty-eight the memories barely penetrated his waking thoughts anymore. So when he walked into his small apartment on the West side of Brooklyn after a long day of work; he was surprised to see an envelope in the stack of mail that he never thought he would ever receive. About a trillion memories flashed through his head in a minute. Thoughts of the Glee club, of flirty duets, of confused feelings and of course of him. Someone he had tried for years now to forget; all of his work for nothing. This was surely going to be his downfall.

The Ten Year McKinley High School Reunion.

He would have been lying if he said that Kurt Hummel was not the reason for him transferring from Dalton Academy to McKinley High School. After Kurt left Dalton, after their magical night at his Prom it had gotten harder for Blaine to cope at Dalton without Kurt there beside him. Seeing each other after school wasn't enough for Blaine. The closer they got to each other the more Blaine wanted to spend every waking moment with Kurt. The eight hours of school a day was too much time apart. After much convincing from his parents they conceded and transferred him back into the public school system. He joined the New Directions and became one of their headline vocalists and in their senior year he led them through Nationals and won. Towards the end of their senior year, Kurt and Blaine seriously started talking about attending NYU and living in New York together. They rented a small place in Astoria just barely big enough for the both of them and Kurt's clothes.

Things were amazing for a while but unfortunately things change, like they always do. Kurt was wooed by the New York life where Blaine just wanted a low profile college experience. He didn't get drawn in by the glamorous side of living in New York. As Kurt continued to study fashion during the night and attended his internship most evenings, it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to spend time together.

It happened one particular evening a few days after Blaine celebrated his twentieth birthday; alone.

_He had great dinner plans but since Kurt got caught up at his internship, Blaine spent his entire birthday working on his music theory homework. Hours later than he said he was going to be home, Kurt showed up at their place - cheeks rosy and eyes ablaze. Kurt found Blaine lying on their bed on his stomach, his nose in his textbook; sad eye pouring over his homework. He looked up and saw Kurt's silhouette in the doorway. He sighed and closed his book as Kurt took his first steps into the bedroom._

"Where have you been?" Blaine said as Kurt slithered onto the bed, his hand instinctively reaching for Blaine's curly brown hair.

"Blaine, everywhere I turned there were designers. It was better than being at Disneyland. You should have seen it. I wish you could have." Kurt rambled on but Blaine wasn't listening anymore. The smell of vodka was wafting off of word he spoke, his eyes hazy with jumbled thoughts. Blaine shook out of his hold and stood up from the bed.

"No, you don't." Blaine said as he stalked away from their bed, leaving Kurt looking confused back at him. His eyebrows knitting together.

"What are you talking about?" Kurt asked as the situation forced him to sober up. He stood up as well; not knowing what else to do. Always following Blaine's lead. Blaine took a second to imagine everything that he was about to say. He closed his eyes, blocking out all the white noise that was causing static to build up in his ears. After a few moments of blistering silence he turned back to look at Kurt.

"You don't wish I was there. You love being the center of attention. A one man show right?" Blaine said with the hint of a dead smile. He was trying to keep the sadness out of his voice. "There's no room for me anymore." He could see the hurt welling up in Kurt's face and he knew he had to just do this quickly or else he would back out. He would tell Kurt that he was sorry and that tomorrow everything will be back to normal. He will curl back up into himself and the cycle will start over again.

"I'm moving out." Blaine said, cutting right to the chase. Kurt's face fell, his eyebrows unfurrowed and he just became blank. For once he didn't have anything to say; shell shocked.

"I already have a new place but I wanted to tell you in person." Blaine said. He was struggling so hard to get the words out but he couldn't stand the look on Kurt's pale face. His hands were trembling and even as much as he was fighting it, the tears came. He couldn't help himself, couldn't stop them no matter how hard he tried. He looked up into Kurt's blue eyes and saw matching tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Why?" Kurt choked out. He wanted to say more, to start begging for him to stay but the words wouldn't leave. They just became dying squeaks in his throat.

"Until there's room for me in your life, you will always be pushing me further away." Another tear trailed down Blaine's tear streaked cheek as he picked up his book off the bed and stuffed it into his bad on the floor. He pulled it over his shoulder as he started walking towards the door when Kurt finally mustered the energy to say a whole sentence; which made Blaine stop at the doorway.

"Happy Birthday." Kurt whispered. Tears staining his alabaster cheeks. Blaine turned and they looked at each other for a long moment. "When will I see you again?" Kurt whispered like he couldn't speak any louder than that. Blaine swallowed the lump in his throat as they stood staring each other down from across the bedroom that used to belong to both of them. It was killing Blaine that Kurt wasn't even trying to put up a fight to try and keep him from leaving. Didn't put up a fight to keep him. It killed him more than anything.

"Soon." Blaine said as he turned and walked out of the room. The apartment that used to be theirs, that used to be so full of love and song and happiness. Now as he was leaving it seemed like such a strange, unwelcoming place.

Soon.

That was what he had said but it had been eight years since then.


	2. Come On, Skinny Love

After his breakup with Kurt, Blaine moved into his own studio apartment in Brooklyn which was equally as tiny as the apartment the he had shared with Kurt. The only difference was that it was all completely his. For the next few years he continued on with his college life, eventually getting his degree in music theory and production. The only thing that really changed in him was his love for music. He had gotten his degree but his passion was gone; he didn't know what to sing about anymore. His guitar was left unplayed and gathering dust in his closet. Singing about love seemed cliché to him and not at all what he wanted anymore. Singing about falling in love in a coffee shop seemed like a laughable concept to Blaine now.

After college he decided to go into teaching music. Just because he lost is interest in writing music didn't mean he couldn't help kids find their own voices. HIs days were spent at the high school nearest to his apartment and his nights were spent walking through the city; desperately trying to find something or someone to trigger the spark of imagination in his mind. He tried to keep in touch with people from high school - the New Directions - but the only person who still seemed to care about hearing from him was Santana. He was pretty sure Kurt had asked Finn not to talk to him after the break up since he would never return his texts or phone calls. He would ask Santana how Kurt was doing every once in a while; just out of curiosity but she would always say that she never heard from him either. He always wondered if she was just covering up for him; not wanting to make it harder for both of them to move on by bringing them up to each other all the time.

However, after a long time it was even difficult to get a hold of Santana. She was always busy with work and things that were going on in her own life. So after a while Blaine just stopped trying. he let himself fall off the map; he made a few new friendships. Mostly just co-workers from the high school that he was teaching at. He even tried dating after a while but it never stuck for too long. No matter how much he tried, it always came down to him. He thought his expectations were set too high and every relationship that he started was just doomed to fail. And he just let them fail; he figured that nothing would have ever come of them anyway, they would just end up hurting each other in the long run. Because of this most of his time was spent alone in his apartment. It was lonely life to live, Blaine knew that but eventually he didn't know how to escape it.

Now, at 28 and single he stood in the middle of his apartment holding an invitation that would force everything back in. Force him to stand up and face everything that he has become over the last eight years, which he realized wasn't much. He had basically become Mr. Shue and he wasn't sure if he should be proud of that. He went through his whole life thinking he was going to become a famous singer to show his father that he was someone he could be proud of and now he wasn't even proud of himself. He threw down the invitation and tried to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes; this was too much for him to deal with. His first thought was that of course he just wouldn't go. He laid down on the couch and smiled as he realized that no one was going to expect him to be there; so why bother traveling all that way for nothing. He was going to stay in New York and let himself slip back into his normal life.

But after a few days of thinking it over and trying his best to not think about it in his day to day life, he got a text from his mother. She had heard through the grapevine that the reunion was coming up and she ended the text saying how excited she was that she was going to be seeing him. Although he was sure she didn't intend it to be, the text made him feel extremely guilty about wanting to skip the whole thing and stay in New York. It had been almost three years since the last time he went back to Ohio to visit his parents. He would have to go, at least to visit his parents. Once he got there he figured he could make up an excuse not to go to the reunion.

Weeks later he had his suitcase packed and a plane ticket in hand as he was about to make the journey back home to Ohio. He really had no idea what to expect when he got there. He was going over different scenarios on the taxi cab ride to JFK airport. One where he walks into the reunion and he the spotlight falls on Kurt across the room and they dance to Fuckin' Perfect by Pink and they run off into the sunset together. The other, more frequent daydream was Blaine walking into the reunion and right in the shaking hand of Kurt's boyfriend of six years; they are planning their wedding in June and everyone is invited except Blaine. He snapped out of it when the cab pulled up the unloading area of airport and Blaine climbed out of the car and into the mass of people finding their way around the crowded airport. This was it, it was too late to turn back now.

He stood, looking up at the house that he grew up in and something washed through him. He took a deep breath. Fight or flight. He remembered each and every one of the monumental amount of memories that this place held for him.

_"Shhh...I don't want to wake my parents..." Blaine harshly whispered as he let Kurt up the stairs and into his secluded second floor bedroom. Kurt just smiled back at him and made a gesture to show that he was going to zip his lips. The last thing either of them wanted was to get caught sneaking around this house. However, once the door was closed behind them and they were safely inside Blaine's room they took a moment to breathe. They silence penetrating all around them._

"So what's going on? What did you need me to come over for?" Kurt asked innocently but before he could flash a smile to go with his meek voice Blaine's lips were on his. Kurt knew that he was Blaine's first real boyfriend but he sure didn't kiss like it. At this point they had only kissed before on one occasion; in the study at Dalton Academy and since then Kurt had been wondering when they were going to do it again. Kurt leaned into the kiss naturally. It seemed like they had been kissing for hours before Blaine started moving. Moving in the direction of his bed on the other side of the room. Kurt, for a moment, broke the kiss.

"Uhm...are you sure this is what you want to do?" Kurt asked so sincerely that it nearly broke Blaine in two. His Kurt, so kind and innocent that it threatened to build itself into more than just a ball in his throat. He had to choke back everything he wanted to say in that moment. He knew it was a big moment, a big step for Kurt. All the nervousness that he usually felt about situations like this; everything that he usually kept so boxed up and protected was about to melt away.

"This is everything." Blaine whispered against his lips. He could see the words brighten Kurt's already shining eyes as he leaned forward to kiss Blaine again. The kiss was sweet, not as rushed as it had been before. Kurt was the first one to reach the bed and Blaine soon followed. Kurt laid his head down on Blaine's forest green pillows and Blaine leaned over him for another kiss; taking the first button of his Dalton blazer between his fingers and undoing it. He let his blazer fall beside the bed as Kurt continued to kiss him and run his porcelain fingers through Blaine's curly brown hair. It was in that moment that Blaine knew that he was truly in love with this man; everything about him was going to change him forever. No matter what happened to them, this moment changed them both for the rest of their lives. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion; it was all sweat and fumbling fingers. Blushing cheeks and nervous laughs that quickly turned into hushes moans that grew from the back of the throats and trickled out of their parted lips. Shudders and exploration; it changed their chemistry. At the end of the night, with the sunrise threatening them they laid in tangle underneath Blaine's thick comforter. Blaine on his back as Kurt laid his head gently on the crook of Blaine's shoulder, his pale skin flushed. Blaine leaned down and kissed the crown on Kurt's head, pulling him a bit tighter; a bit closer, afraid of this moment ending. If he could have had any wish granted it would have been to be able to lay in that moment forever.

But it didn't last forever. The memory faded from Blaine's mind as he heard the front door of his parents home swing open and watched as his mother stepped out of the house.


	3. Little Hell

"Are you just going to stand on the curb all day or are you going to get over here and hug me?" She said with a warm, motherly smile. Blaine let all the things that were plaguing his mind fall away as he turned his attention to his mother. He walked quickly towards her and enveloped her in a hug. He closed his eyes as he breathed in her perfume and it took him back. She pulled away after a long embrace and gave a disapproving glance at his face.

"What's with the scruff? Too lazy to shave this morning?" She said as she rubbed his five o'clock shadow growing on his cheeks. He laughed as she led him up the walkway and back into the house. He walked into the family room, which had been virtually untouched since high school. He sat down on the couch and finally let his body relax.

"Where's Dad?" Blaine asked, taking a quick glance up the stairs.

"Oh, he just got out of the shower. He'll be down." She said as she sat down on the couch across from Blaine. "It's been so long Blaine, how is everything?" She asked, seemingly a bit sad. Blaine couldn't blame her; they had been pretty close during his high school years. She had been heartbroken when he had decided that he wanted to move to New York for college. He knew he should have taken more time to come and visit but there was always something keeping him from coming back to Ohio.

"I know, I'm sorry. I've been crazy busy..." Blaine said, which wasn't remotely true but he couldn't really say that to his mother. It would break her fragile idea that their family was perfect and without any problems what-so-ever.

"Well, how is everything else in your life? Are you seeing anyone?" Blaine smiled weakly, surprised his Mom even cared enough to ask. He opened his mouth to speak - to give his standard answer that he always gave whenever anyone ever asked him that question. However, someone interrupted him before he could speak.

"You know Blaine doesn't want to talk about all that girly stuff." Blaine's father had just come into the room from upstairs and took a seat next to his wife. "Isn't that right Blaine?" He said with a stern look. It wasn't that Blaine didn't want to talk about it, he really didn't mind talking about his relationships with his mother; considering she was one of the only people that he knew that actually cared to listen. But his father would have none of it. Even when he was at Dalton Academy and he finally started to feel good about who he was, his father always found a way to bring him down a notch. He would never let Blaine forget everything that happened at his old school, everything that happened at their prom. He would always say that with his kind of behavior that kind of reaction from other kids was to be expected. Blaine wanted to just let his father's comment slide but he wasn't going to stand for his father's bullying. Not anymore, not as an adult.

"Right." Blaine barely whispered as he stood up from the couch. His mother watched him with wide eyes.

"Oh, honey, where are you going?" She said as she watched him walk towards the door. She didn't sound very surprised at his actions; her voice low and neutral. The fact was however that he had no idea where he was going. He had been at his house for no more than five minutes and he was already eager to get away. He really didn't have anywhere else to go; none of his friends lived in the same houses anymore. Most people didn't even live in the same town, the same state anymore and he had no idea who else would be in town for the reunion. He looked at the time, it was nearing seven P.M.; they would just be sitting down to dinner. He decided to try his luck and walk the long distance from his house.

It looked just the same as it always had. He hesitated for a long moment; he wasn't sure if coming here was actually a good idea. He was getting increasing worse vibes the longer he stood there, halfway up their walkway. Everything in his body was telling him to turn around and run for the hills but then he heard a car pull up into the driveway beside him. He turned and saw Carole, Finn's mother step out of the car. She looked at him, confused for a moment before a smile broke out over her face.

"Blaine?" She walked towards him and hugged him tight, the way a mother should. He hugged her back; he wondered how hugging his ex's step mother could feel more familiar and fulfilling to him than hugging his own mother. Especially since he hadn't seen here in nearly nine years, since right before he and Kurt had moved to New York together. He released the hug, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

"What are you doing here honey?" Carole asked and the smile left Blaine almost instantly. What was he doing here? He had no right to go to the Hummel's with any of his problems; not anymore. What would Kurt say if he knew that he was here?

"My house..." He was able to mutter out. He suddenly felt like a teenager again. Running away from his house when things got difficult and basking in the comforts of Kurt's house. The relationships that everyone had there taught him what a real family was like. It had always made him a bit jealous that Kurt had people like that to come home to.

"Unwelcoming as ever..." Carole said strongly but with a reassuring smile. "Come on, I'll fix us something for dinner." She started to pull Blaine in the direction of the front door but he stopped dead in his tracks. Carol turned back and gave him another warm, motherly smile.

"Don't worry, he won't be in town until tomorrow." She said and Blaine released the breath that he didn't realize he was holding. He smiled weakly and followed Carole up to the house.


	4. Warm Whispers

They walked in and Blaine was nearly knocked out by the familiar smells and all the feelings that came with them. Everything was just as it was eight years ago. Sure, a new lamp or rug here and there but everything else was just as it was. All the moments he spent there; all the happy and sad memories rushing through his mind. Carole walked down the hall shouting - "Look who I found outside trying to work up the guts to ring the doorbell!"

Blaine stepped into the living room, surveying the room thoroughly. His eyes landed on a picture that sat on the fireplace mantel. He walked towards it and as the photo came into focus it caused a frog to grow in Blaine's throat. It was his junior prom photograph. McKinley High School, the year that the entire junior class decided to crown Kurt as prom queen as a cruel joke - but Kurt just took it. The prom photo was a classic, Kurt with his crown on proudly and Blaine with the biggest smile on his face. He remembered what Kurt had told him that night before stepping back on the stage to except his crown.

_I'm going to show them that it doesn't matter if they are yelling at me or whispering behind my back. They can't touch me. They can't touch us or what we have._

That was when Blaine had realized that Kurt really was one of the bravest men he had ever met. After prom they had spent the rest of evening watching Kurt's favorite reality fashion program; lying in bed together, arms and fingers entwined. Kurt's crown perched next to his vanity.

Blaine was snapped back into reality when Carole walked back into the living room with Burt following behind her. Seeing Burt instantly gave him a sense of calm; Burt always had a way of making him feel that way.

"Blaine." Burt said flatly as he extended his hand and Blaine shook it with a solid squeeze. "It's good to see you, you look well." Burt said as he gave Blaine the once-over.

"Thanks, you too." Blaine said with a shy smile.

"Already problems at the Anderson house?" Burt said as he sat down on the couch and Blaine followed, sitting on the love seat. Carole stepped into the kitchen and grabbed two beers for both of them. When she extended them to both men, they immediately both took long swigs.

"Well, you know my Dad. I can talk about my life as long as it omits anything even remotely gay. My mother asked if I was dating anymore and-"

"Are you?" Burt asked quickly; so quick that Blaine almost didn't hear him.

"What?" He asked.

"Are you dating anyone?" It was an odd question coming from the love of his life's Dad but Blaine appreciated the fact that someone cared enough to ask. He took another long swig of his beer as Carol sat down next to Burt.

"No...uh...no. Not for a long time." Blaine ignored the fact that both Burt and Carole's eyes seemed to light up at bit when they heard that. He thought that they must have been waiting to see if he would ask about Kurt; about his love life. However, he couldn't risk the thought of them saying that he was in a long term, loving relationship so instead he just took another gulp from his beer.

"Well, anyhow, you've got a place to stay tonight if you don't want to go back home." Burt said with a hint of a sad smile. Blaine had to laugh a bit out loud, it struck him how crazy it was that two fathers could be so different. His father was so silent and standoffish, so unsupportive of who Blaine was. Then there was Burt who was so understanding and loving and only wanted the best for his son.

"Uh...no. I couldn't impose myself." He said, setting his beer down on the coffee table, a gulp still sloshing around on the bottom. "Honestly, I've imposed myself too much already." He stood and Burt followed suit. Blaine glanced once again at the prom photo on the mantel once more.

"I mean...Kurt and I broke up eight years ago..." Blaine muttered quietly. Burt closed the distance between them, putting a hand on his shoulder and looking seriously into his eyes.

"It doesn't matter how long it's been. The impact you had on Kurt during those years is invaluable. You gave him the strength he needed back then." Blaine could feel his chest tightening as he listening to everything Burt was telling him. "So it doesn't matter if you're apart eight years or forever...you are always welcome back at this house." Burt finished and Blaine had to physically fight back the tears that stung his eyes. He stepped closer and hugged the older man; it was just a hug but it felt even more powerful than that. He had always felt loved in the home which just made the memories harder to deal with. Carole hugged him as well before Blaine made his way towards the front door.

"Blaine." Burt called out to him, making him turn and look back.

"Don't be a stranger. He wouldn't want that."

_Kurt._


	5. Fashion of His Love

Blaine didn't know what else to say, he was constantly astounded by the love that was in that family. Kurt had been so lucky to grow up in a home like that; with no fear of constantly having to hide everything that you are from the people that were supposed to love you no matter what. As Blaine left the Hummel house he recalled all the times, all the countless hours he spent there. Absorbing as much as he could before he would have to go back home. He came over for all the Friday family nights and was there for all their weekend activities. After a short time it wasn't even a question of whether Blaine wanted to come over, it was just assumed.

Blaine shook himself out of his memories when he realized that he was just wandering aimlessly through town. Wandering aimlessly through life it seemed like. He wished he could find someone to spend his time with but there was no one. After about an hour of just walking through town, he found a bar on the corner of Main and Lima Boulevard. He never remembered it being there before but he still walked in. It was dark and stuffy as bars are and should always be. He took a seat at the bar, secluded from everyone. He ordered a whiskey and coke and sat nursing it for a long time, silently watching all the people in the bar. Most were just barely over twenty-one, attending the community college just down the road. He thought of how he must look to all of them. A scruffy, late twenties man in his jeans that were just a tad bit too tight and a navy cardigan. The tan Oxfords on his feet pushed it over the edge and made him look a lot older than he is. What a lonely soul. A women at the bar a few seats down from him caught his attention, she was young. She looked almost too young to be allowed in this bar. She winked at him and Blaine just smiled weakly back. If only she knew.

He thought back to a time when he was still so confused about who he was. When he had gone out on a date with Rachel because he was still so unsure of himself. He remembered how hurt Kurt had been by his actions but he was thankful that he had the experience. It was because of this that he finally realized who he was and the person he was meant to be. He took another long sip of his Jack and coke and winced as it slid down his throat. His mind mulled over a lot of things but the one that came up the most that night was what he was going to say or feel when he finally did see Kurt. Would he look different, act like a different person? Blaine knew that the fashion industry wasn't exactly a forgiving field to work in, you had to earn your place. Blaine was afraid to see the man that Kurt had become over their years of being apart.

One drink turned into two. Two turned into four and by the time the bar was getting ready to close for the night, the bartender had to call him a cab. He barely slurred out his parents address before the cab started to drive off. It dropped him off in the driveway and Blaine carefully and as quietly as he could, unlocked the front door and stepped in. It was pitch black in his house but by memory he started to make his way into the living room. Suddenly a side table lamp flicked on, Blaine was momentarily blinded by the brightness but when his eyes started adjusting to the light he saw his father sitting in his favorite arm chair. Blaine sighed in resignation.

"I'm 28 years old, you don't have to wait up for me at night." Blaine said in a harsh whisper. He didn't want to wake up his mother but he didn't want to sound like he wasn't irritated about his father's actions. His father just stared back at him.

"You've been drinking." he said flatly. Blaine could physically feel himself giving the biggest eye roll he possibly could.

"Once again, 28 years old." Blaine said. His father stood up. towering over him and Blaine suddenly felt like he was right back in high school. Looking up at his father's angry face.

"If you are going to be staying here while you are in town you are going to follow my rules. If you are going to be coming and going at all hours of the night then you might as well not come back." His father said, anger spewing out of every word that spilled from his mouth. "We tolerated your delinquent behavior when you were younger, we won't tolerate it now." Blaine scoffed back at him and he did something that he had always wanted to do in high school but never had the courage to do.

"Delinquent behavior? Let's back track shall we? I got perfect grades, had a perfect record...so by delinquent behavior you mean being gay?" Blaine said, his voice raising a bit. He didn't care anymore if he woke his mother. A flush washed over his cheeks but he wasn't sure if it was because of his anger or the alcohol.

"Don't raise your voice to me!" His father said a bit louder than Blaine.

"No Dad, you need to hear some things! I'm gay, end of story. Get used to that because it is never going away. If you can't be proud of that, at least be supportive. You know, I'm your son and you don't even have a picture of me on the mantel. I went to Burt Hummel's house tonight. It's been eight years since I've seen him but there is a picture of me on his mantel. I'm not even his son! What does that say about us Dad? About you?" Blaine was sure that he was shouting now, shouting at his father like he had always wanted to.

"I'm tired of you, tired of the deluded way you think. After all these years you couldn't move past one part of me and just love me." Blaine finished, his face was warm, his cheeks red and his eyes were fighting against the tears that threatened to push over.

"No, I can't. Because I didn't raise my son to be this sick person. You just don't understand." His father shouted.

"And I won't ever. Tell Mom thanks for everything." Blaine said as he walked towards the front door, where his suitcase was resting.

"Where do you think you're going?" His father called. Blaine turned to look back at him, his eyes red.

"To find someone who actually cares about me." Blaine said as he walked out and closed the front door, shutting that part of his life away.


	6. Calling All Skeletons

He knew that he shouldn't have. He should have just walked straight to the nearest motel and checked himself in for the duration of his stay in Lima but instead he made the trek back to the Hummel house. When he stepped onto the paved pathway he looked up at the house and saw light coming from the living room window. He felt a guilty pang run through his chest but he knew that what Burt had said earlier that day would hold true. He walked up the pathway and knocked on the door, not daring to ring the doorbell in case Carole was fast asleep. He heard a quick shuffling coming from inside the house and seconds later the front door opened and Burt was standing in front of him. He looked tired but he had a beer in his hand and didn't look in the least bit surprised to see Blaine standing there.

"Burt..." Blaine said so quietly it was nearly a whisper. Burt looked him over, he could tell her was drunk. Drunk and depressed, which was never a safe combination.

"Somehow I knew you'd be back." Burt said simply, moving out of the doorway and motioning for Blaine to come into the house.

"I just need..." Blaine started as he walked into the house and set his suitcase down next to the front door. Burt quickly cut him off.

"What you need is a shower and a bed to sleep in." Burt said as he closed the front door and locked it. Blaine could barely force a smile.

"Kurt's room is still empty, you know where the shower is." Burt motioned upstairs. Blaine was appreciative, Burt knew that without him even having to say a word. Burt clapped one hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before going back into the living room. Leaving Blaine to his own devices. Blaine walked up the stairs, carrying his suitcase behind him. He settled into the hallway bathroom, pulling some lightweight sleeping clothes out of the suitcase that he propped on top of the counter before turning on the shower. He had a lot of thoughts that wanted to break free and invade his waking mind but he forced them aside for now. He still felt sluggish and light headed from the alcohol and from the argument with his father. He just let the clothes fall from his body and land on the white tile floor. The scorching water fall across his bare shoulders; it was almost too hot for him. He could feel the steam fill the room; all the windows and glass turned gray as the steam thickened the air around him. His whole body became slick as he let the steam pull the alcohol from his skin. He could feel himself sobering up with every new breathe that he took. He wished he could stay under the pounding rush of the water forever but unfortunately he didn't want to bump up the Hummel's water bill so after a long debate with himself, he stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a soft black towel around his waist and looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't look too different than he did ten years ago, he still looked like a lost puppy who was afraid of everything inside himself.

Blaine walked out of the bathroom carrying his suitcase and stepped into the bedroom right next door. He switched on the light and was bombarded with memories, everything he saw reminded him of him. Blaine pulled on a thin v-neck shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants, looking around the room like it was the first time he had ever seen it. The queen sized bed that he had slept in so many times before, the vanity mirror on the other side of the room where he used to watch Kurt applying his moisturizer every night before bed. The huge walk-in closet that used to hold all of Kurt's designer clothes and creations of his own. It made him smile to think of how ambitious Kurt had been back then, how he had always been. He couldn't help but look back on those days fondly. It crossed his mind to stay up for a while, waxing nostalgic about his past relationship but the events of the day and his drinking was bringing on a migraine that Blaine knew would keep him up all night. So he switched off the light before more memories accosted him. He climbed into the large bed, the frame creaking loudly under his weight. Familiar creaks and cracks surrounded him as he laid his head on the soft pillows. It was an odd feeling for him to be in that bed at all his years away but at the same time, he felt like he had never left. Blaine closed his eyes and tried his bed to clear his mind of all the thoughts that would keep him awake, but in the end he fell asleep thinking of those twinkling blue eyes.

_"Oh my God - it's here!" He heard Kurt shout from the living room downstairs. His eyes lit up as he dropped the magazine he was just in the middle of reading in Kurt's bedroom and bounded down the stairs like an excited puppy. Burt walked into the living room from the kitchen and both of them looked at a very official looking letter that Kurt was clutching in his trembling hands._

"What are you waiting for? Open it." Burt blurted out. Kurt smiled nervously before he tore into the envelope. He unfolded the paper and only got into the reading the first couple of lines before the excitement exploded out of him.

"Oh God, I got in!" Kurt yelped as he threw himself into Burt's arms first. Burt shouted affirmations as Kurt just couldn't stop himself from smiling and laughing. Kurt turned to Blaine, love in both of their eyes. They knew what this meant, what this was the beginning of. Kurt hugged Blaine and whisper.

"I hope your apartment is big enough for two." Kurt said as he buried his head in Blaine's neck. Blaine could smell in cologne and it was intoxicating. When Kurt pulled his head away from Blaine, the first thing he felt was lips pressed against his and he let himself melt into it.

Blaine woke up without the aid of an alarm for the first time in a long time. He looked around him for a long time not knowing where he was, until the memories from last night finally started to come back to him. Why his head felt like it was splitting open. Why he was sleeping in Kurt Hummel's bed even though he hadn't seen Kurt in eight years. He sat up but then immediately laid back down, his hangover was making moving around a seriously bad idea at the moment. He wondered how much he had actually had to drink last night. He had no idea what time it was, he blindly reached around on the bedside table looking for his cell phone. When he finally found it and looked at the screen he saw that it was nearly 10 A.M., also that he missed two texts. One was from Burt. _"I had to leave to pick up Kurt from the airport but feel free to stick around."_ and the other was from Mike Chang, whom he hadn't spoken to in years. _"Heard through the grapevine that you are in town - going to the reunion?"_ Blaine wondered who the grapevine was, there were an awfully large amount of people who knew that he was in town even though he hardly spoke to anyone anymore. If Mike knew that he was here that meant that the whole crew knew, that may have even included Kurt. He shot up in bed suddenly, his shirt twisted around his torso and his hair a curly, poofy mess as he checked the time of Burt's text. It had been received nearly two hours ago which meant that they could be back at any moment. Kurt could be there at any moment.

He shot out of bed, ignoring the pounding in his head begging him to stop. He looked around desperately for his jeans while throwing his things back into the suitcase haphazardly. As long as he got dressed and got out of the house before Kurt got home than everything would be okay. As long as he didn't have to explain to Kurt why he was in his parents' house. Just as he was pulled on his shoes he heard the front door slam downstairs, he heard Burt shout and it made his whole body freeze.


	7. You Still Hurt Me

Before Blaine could even react at all, the door to Kurt's bedroom swung open and he was standing there in front of him. Blaine was frozen, staring at one spot in the carpet, too scared to look up and whatever expression was on Kurt's face; which he was sure was anger. When he finally did raise his hazel eyes to Kurt's, he saw the furious look that he was expecting. He did, however, see a tiny glimmer of something else in Kurt when their eyes met. But as soon as he caught it it was gone. Now they were just looking at each other for the first time in eight years, Blaine looking nervous and Kurt looking beside himself in anger.

"Kurt..." Blaine was barely able to get any words out of his throat, his voice cracked in a funny way that seemed to make everything worse. Kurt stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. The sound of the door closing causing Blaine's head to pound with pain that traveled through his entire tired body. He stood up completely, forgetting that Kurt was almost a foot taller than him. Right now though, in this stale moment he felt smaller than a bug.

"What are you doing here?" Kurt asked, putting his hands in the front pockets of his jeans; which made him seem very vulnerable. A reaction that Blaine was not expecting. He seemed to almost forget that Kurt had asked him a question; a very serious question at that.

"Blaine..." Kurt asked quietly, God, Blaine always loved the way Kurt said his name. Their eyes met again and Blaine felt his lungs lock up instantly.

"I uh..." His voice was still hoarse as he desperately searched for the words to say that wouldn't make him sound like an idiot. "I didn't...have anywhere else to go." Blaine explained softly. The quiet tone of his voice made him sound like a little kid, it pissed him off more than anything. He could tell from Kurt's expression that his answer was the wrong one, cliché really. Kurt nearly rolled his eyes at Blaine.

"You had nowhere else to go? Let me make sure I understand correctly. You break up with me out of the blue eight years ago and never speak to me again. Then today, I get picked up by my Dad at the airport and he casually brings up that you showed up drunk at his house last night and are asleep in my old bed. Did I miss anything?" Kurt finished, doing everything in his power not to completely blow his top. Blaine quickly realized that he was right, he was being ridiculous and the whole situation was ridiculous. So he picked up his jacket and pulled it on quickly, keeping his eyes from meeting again with Kurt's. He grabbed his suitcase up off the ground and started walking towards the door though Kurt was standing in his way.

"You know what...you are completely right." He said simply and weakly, moving past Kurt and walking out of the bedroom; leaving Kurt standing alone. Standing alone in his old bedroom for the second time since they had known each other. Blaine walked quickly down the stairs, wishing he wasn't hung over or else he would take them two steps at a time. He saw Burt standing at the foot of the staircase, a sad look on his face. Blaine wondered what he must have been thinking in that exact moment. Burt smiled softly at Blaine and Blaine couldn't help but return the gesture.

"Thanks Mr. Hummel...for last night." Blaine said before he walked out of the house. Once he got the corner of Kurt's street, he decided that he was going to do what he should have done in the first place. He arrived at the nearest motel and checked in for the rest of the weekend.

The night of the reunion was the next day and Blaine was honestly thinking about chickening out and not going. Just catching a Red Eye flight back to New York. However, just in the span of one day he had received seven messages from seven different people who all told him they were excited to see him at the reunion. No matter how scared he was of seeing Kurt again after yesterday, he was still excited to see the old members of New Directions. So he swallowed what little pride he had left and got ready to go to the reunion.

He wore a simple black collared shirt with a charcoal gray vest and tight black trousers with his everyday converse. He looked in the mirror and wondered if he should shave and gel his hair down like he used to back in high school. After a long pause of deliberation he decided it was probably best to put as much distance between eighteen year old Blaine and him in the present. So his short curls were left untamed and his five o'clock shadow left untouched; it made him look older and more mature. For a split second he wondered what Kurt was going to wear to the reunion but quickly shook it from his mind. Before he left he pulled on his blazer, black with dark forest green elbow patches sewn on. When he gave himself one last once over, he scoffed at how much of a teacher he looked like; Mr. Shue would be proud. He left the motel and took a quick cab ride over to McKinley High School.

They hadn't changed the school much over the years since he had been there. The halls looked relatively untouched, still lined with lockers and posters advertising Pep Rallies and Band Tryouts. It took him a longtime to reach the gym, he wanted to be completely mentally prepared to see everyone that he was about to see. Didn't want to dive in headfirst and become overwhelmed. As he got closer to the gym entrance, he saw the person who was manning the name tag table and his heart rose a bit. Mr. Shue looked exactly as Blaine remembered him, same curly mop on his head and infectious smile. When their eyes met, Mr. Shue instantly lit up.

"Blaine!" He said as he moved past the table to hug him. "It's good to see you!" He said as they released their hug.

"You too, Mr. Shue." Blaine said with a genuine smile.

"Almost everyone is in there already. So go on inside." Mr. Shue said as he motioned towards the entrance on the gym. "Oh - don't forget this." He said as he handed Blaine his name tag. Blaine looked at it for a second before giving in and sticking it on the lapel of his blazer.

"Hi, I'm Blaine Anderson." It screamed in bright red permanent marker as Blaine took a deep breath and walked into the gym.


	8. Paradise Circus

The first person he recognized, standing at one of the tables with a drink in his hand was Dave Kurofsky. Blaine was surprised to see him here and most of all to see him happy. Dave turned a second later and his eyes widened when he saw Blaine standing at the entrance of the gym; he waved him over to the table that he was standing at. Blaine walked over to him and the first thing Dave did was extend his hand towards Blaine. Blaine took it quickly and they shook hands. It was an appropriate greeting seeing as they were never really friends. They learned to tolerate each other during their senior year but Blaine could never find it in himself to truly forgive Dave for everything that he had put Kurt through.

"I want you to meet someone." Dave said as someone appeared at his side suddenly. A very good looking man who looked a few years older than them extended his hand towards Blaine and Blaine took it quickly with a smile.

"Leland." The man said with a kind, toothy smile. Blaine released the hand shake and looked back to Dave.

"We just celebrated five years." Dave said with a huge, proud smile on his face. Blaine was sure he had never seen Dave smile like that before. Seeing him this way, Blaine couldn't help but be happy for him. It made his chest tighten in a way that made it uncomfortable; a ringing began to form in his ears.

"That's amazing - congrats." Blaine said with all sincerity.

"Where's Hummel?" Dave asked, looking behind Blaine, back to entrance of the room and it made Blaine's heart drop. He was about to say how he wouldn't know where Kurt was, and the reason for that when he heard someone calling his name. He turned, looking past Dave and Leland and saw Rachel Berry waving at him. He excused himself from his current company and practically ran over to her and took her up in arms. When he released her from his grasp he looked at the table that they were standing next to and at that table were all of them. Rachel was standing beside Finn's chair; Santana and Brittany were sitting next to each other, looking as beautiful as ever. Sam and Puck were having a conversation that seemed to center around sports, but they stopped long enough to garner Blaine's attention. Lauren, Artie, Tina, Mike, Mercedes and Quinn were all seated around the table. Blaine was amazed how everyone looked so much the same, just older versions of the people they were back in high school. It moved him so much to see all of them and for all of them to be happy to see him back. he sat down at an empty seat next to Santana and they started a conversation about anything and everything; he missed her the most after high school.

After a few beers the minutes seemed to fly by as everyone was catching up and talking about their lives since they graduated from McKinley. Blaine was in the middle of talking to Mike about how his dancing career was going when he felt a pair of eyes on him. Like clockwork he heard Mercedes squeal in excitement and Rachel called out "There he is!" Blaine turned and saw Kurt walking into the gym fashionably later and damn, he looked good. He felt his face go white hot and he felt a bit ridiculous in the outfit he was wearing. He looked so home spun next to Kurt, he always had. Kurt hugged and greeted everyone at the table. When he saw Blaine sitting there next to Santana, he just raised his eyebrows and nodded, barely breathing out his name in greeting. "Blaine..."

"Kurt." Blaine could feel the rest of the gangs eyes on them, no doubt wondering why they were greeting each other so awkwardly. Before a second even passed however, Kurt was back to greeting everyone around them. He took a seat across the table from Blaine, next to Mercedes and immediately started talking to her about everything that was going on in the fashion world. The conversation didn't last for long when they heard the distinct sound of knuckles rapping on a microphone. They all turned their attention to the small stage in front of them to see a much older looking Principal Figgins looking back at all of them.

"I hope you all have had adequate time to reacquaint yourselves because now it's time for some entertainment. To kick it off, I am proud to welcome back to the McKinley stage, one of our most accomplished graduates. Ms. Rachel Berry." Figgins finished and started to walk off the stage and everyone started applauding. Rachel made her way onto the stage, the spotlight on her as she always loved it to be. She lifted up her face to the microphone; she was exactly in her element as the first notes of the song began to play over the speaker system. The stage lights reflected off of her wide brown eyes. Blaine sat at the table with a beer in his hand as he let the music wash over him. He looked across the table and saw Kurt sitting there happily looking up at Rachel. Blaine could have watched him for the entire performance and never once looked up at Rachel, but for fear of being caught by Kurt he turned his eyes up to Rachel as she began to sing.

Skies are crying; I am watching  
Catching tear drops in my hands  
Only silence as it's ending, like we never had a chance  
Do you have to make me feel like  
There's nothing left of me

Blaine glanced across the table to look at Kurt. It was dark in the room, causing the lights to bounce off of his porcelain skin. Blaine had never seen him look so beautiful in his entire time of knowing him.

You can take everything I have  
You can break everything I am  
Like I'm made of glass, like I'm made of paper  
Go on and try to tear me down  
I will be rising from the ground  
Like a skyscraper

Blaine couldn't pull his eyes away from him; the words seemed to keep him frozen in place. Longingly watching his first love from across a table, but he seemed still so far away. During the bridge of the song, when the music quieted and all you could hear was the emotion dripping from Rachel's voice, Kurt turned and looked right at Blaine. It caught Blaine off guard, he wanted to look away but he couldn't. With Kurt's misty blue eyes staring right at him it was as if the words of the song were bouncing between them, like Rachel was singing it just for them. Blaine couldn't stop the rise of butterflies in his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to just ignore everything around him and just enjoy the song but he couldn't when Kurt was looking right at him, watching his every expression. Before the song was even over, Blaine calmly stood from the table and made his way towards the back entrance of the gym; to the side of the stage, making sure to keep out of the spotlight. He didn't know what was making him do it, being under Kurt's gaze after all this time, and the excruciating encounter at his house made Blaine decide that he had to get out of that gym. Maybe he wasn't ready to deal with everything just yet, eight years hadn't been long enough. So he concluded that casually escaping from the reunion was the best choice; he would back at the motel before anyone even realized that he was gone.

The cold Ohio air hit him the instant he stepped out of the gym. He started walking across the full parking lot, the overhanging lamps lighting his way through the maze of cars. His motel wasn't too far from the school, he would use the walk to clear his mind. But it wasn't long before he heard heavy footfalls behind him.

"You're going to miss the part where they go through each student and say what they are doing with their lives now-a-days." Kurt shouted, his voice high and strained. Blaine stopped for a moment before he took a deep breath and turned to see Kurt standing several feet away.

"Why bother? So I could hear Rachel Berry, on Broadway. Sam Evans, Activist. Finn Hudson, Football Scholarship and loving father. Kurt Hummel, Fashion Editor for Vogue. Blaine Anderson, Public School Music Teacher..." Blaine exclaimed and he strained to keep his voice even. Kurt cracked a smile as he slowly walked towards Blaine.

"First of all...Fashion Editor for W, thanks. Second, since when do you care what people think of you? You're doing something you enjoy and probably helping a lot of kids learn to love and appreciate music. That's something to be proud of." Kurt said with a small smile. Blaine was taken aback at how differently he was acting compared to the day before.

"Why did you follow me Kurt?" Blaine asked. He looked up into Kurt's heartbreakingly beautiful eyes.

"I wanted to apologize...for earlier at my house. After you left my Dad gave me the entire story about why you were at my house. I just wanted to apologize...for that." Blaine could tell from the look in his eyes that he was telling the truth, he did understand.

"Still...I was overstepping my bounds." Blaine said as he watched Kurt wave off his statement; not wanting to hear any apologies from him. Silence surrounded them for a few moments afterward so they just looked at each other quietly and Blaine felt it. It was like a firecracker went off in his stomach. A spark. It happened out of nowhere and Blaine felt in completely, just as he had years ago when he heard Kurt sing Blackbird for the first time. He took a step towards Kurt and now they were standing so close the wind could barely blow between them. Kurt reached out a hand, palm up. Blaine stared at it in stillness for a moment before reaching towards it with his own hand slowly, almost afraid to touch his hand. To touch his bare skin. Their fingertips touched and the spark ignited again. Their hands clasped together and not a second later Blaine pulled Kurt's delicate hand towards him and they crashed together in a hug. Blaine clutched him for dear life, afraid to let go. He buried his face in the crook of Kurt's shoulder and squeezed him firmly - Kurt did the same. Blaine breathed him in; all cologne and aftershave and Kurt and it was magic.

"It's been...so long." Kurt said as he began to release the hug but Blaine wasn't ready; he protested by holding Kurt tighter. Eventually he finally let go and they looked at each other. There was a sudden cheering coming from inside the gym and Kurt looked back.

"You should get back inside, don't want to miss them saying anything good about you." Blaine said with a strained smile. Kurt looked back at him.

"I want to see you again." Kurt said, a small smile forcing itself onto his lips. It made Blaine's heart skip a beat as he smile back.

"Your Dad has my cell phone number." He said back with an excited smile before he continued. "I'll be here until Sunday." He finished and Kurt nodded.

"I'll call you." Kurt said before they took one last long gaze into each others eyes. Kurt then turned and started to walk back towards the gym. Blaine watched him until he stepped back inside the school then he turned and started walking back to his motel.

Blaine unlocked the door to his motel, his head still reeling from the events of the evening. He and Kurt hugged. Kurt wanted to see him again. As he got undressed he thought of all the possibilities that their reunion could mean. He completely ruled out the thought of the them getting back together, he didn't want to grasp at straws and get his hopes up. Though he thought that maybe he could finally get some closure on what happened between them eight years ago. Blaine climbed into the lumpy motel bed, wishing he could swap it out for the one in Kurt's old bedroom. He tried desperately to push all his thoughts aside as he closed his eyes, let his body relax and drift off into sleep.


	9. Torn

_They stood together in their tiny studio apartment, both of their foreheads covered with a sheen of sweat. They had finally, after long hours of work, finished unpacking nearly everything that they had brought with them from Ohio. Both of them surprised that all of Kurt's clothes could fit in their closet._

"It's finished. We are officially done." Blaine said as he threw the last of the packing tape into an empty cardboard box. He heard the subway outside of their kitchen window wiz past their apartment, causing the glass of their coffee table to rattle. They looked at each other.

"We'll get used to that." Blaine said quickly with a wide toothy smile. Kurt smiled and quickly agreed, they weren't going to let anything ruin this moment.

"Wait, we're not done yet." Kurt said as he ran over to a small box sitting by the front door. He dug through for a moment before he pulled a picture frame and set it down on the side table next to their tiny hand me down couch. It was their prom photo; all rosy cheeks and wide-eyed smiles. Kurt turned back to Blaine and smiled brightly.

"Now it's done." He said as Blaine took a step closer to the table, looking at the photograph with fondness. He tugged on Kurt's belt loops until he was close enough to press his lips against Kurt's. They melted into each other.

"The start of forever." Blaine whispered against Kurt's lips in between kisses. There was a buzzing in his ears like his entire body was vibrating as he continued to kiss Kurt. He pushed his hands through his boyfriends soft brown hair, pulling on it some to give the kiss more depth. Kurt was the one to break the kiss as he looked into Blaine glassy eyes.

"Let's give this place a proper christening." Kurt said with a wicked smile as he pulled Blaine towards the small room off to the left of their living room; to the bedroom. The buzz happened again and it made Blaine stop, Kurt looking back at him; confused.

Blaine groggily opened his eyes, the sun was pushing through the curtains of the motel room. He blinked a few times until the haze of sleep left him. He heard the buzzing again and now realized what had broken him out of his dreaming; his cell phone was vibrating. He lazily grabbed his cell phone off of the nightstand and looked at the text message. It was from Kurt, which instantly made his heart leap up into his throat.

_"Lima Bean in an hourish."_ Was all the text said. Blaine quickly jumped out of bed and jumped in the shower. It didn't take him any longer than twenty minutes to get ready. He let his hair air dry into its normally curly state and he quickly threw on a black t-shirt with gray jeans and his converse. Before stepping out of the house he pulled on his black pea coat with a red scarf as fast as he could before he was stepping out of the motel. The sun was high in sky and blinding as he walked down the boulevard so he pulled on his black Ray Bans and continued on his way.

When he walked into the Lima Bean he was accosted by smells that reminded him so much of high school. Coming here every single day after school, alone at first but eventually it became a ritual for Kurt and himself. They did practically everything in his coffee bar; studied for exams, thought up duet ideas, applying for colleges and planning for their future. Blaine didn't see Kurt inside just yet so he decided to get in line and get his coffee before Kurt arrived. He waited patiently in line and when it was his turn he looked at the barista at the cash register and flashed a smile. He was about to say his order to the girl when he heard someone call out their order from behind him. He turned and saw Kurt standing there, a bashful smile on his face as he winked at Blaine before turning back to the barista.

"...and a medium drip for this guy." He said quickly, pointing to a smiling Blaine. She walked away to start making the drinks, leaving the both of them standing together.

"You remember my coffee order." Blaine said quietly. Kurt looked up at him in surprise, as if it was foolish for Blaine to have believed that he had forgotten.

"Of course I do." Kurt said quickly as he left a five dollar bill on the counter for the barista and walked over to the counter where she had just set it down for him. Kurt walked over to a small, two person table in the back corner of the cafe and sat down, waiting for Blaine to follow suit. Seconds later, Blaine sat down across from him while he gently opened the lid of his coffee and blew into it, trying to cool the scalding liquid.

"You look good...I forgot to say that last night." Kurt said out loud and it made Blaine stop blowing into his cup; he wondered if Kurt had meant to say it out loud or not. "The five o'clock shadow really works for you." Kurt said and it made Blaine laugh at bit.

"Uh...thanks." Blaine said as he then took in Kurt's appearance. White leather jacket with a black t-shirt underneath. Unbelievably tight black jeans and white boots. "You look really good too." Blaine said but immediately felt ridiculous for saying it, of course he looked good, he worked for a fashion magazine.

"You still living in New York?" Kurt asked as he finally took a sip of his coffee and waited for Blaine to answer.

"Brooklyn." Blaine answered and he watched Kurt make a face that was inexplicable. He was sure that Kurt thought Brooklyn was low class to whatever he was used to. He didn't say anything about however, just smiled a bit at Kurt.

"How about you? High rise apartment on the Upper East Side?" Blaine asked with a twinkle in his eyes. Kurt took a big gulp of his coffee and squeaked out _Astoria_ and the smile dropped off of Blaine's face. Everything faded around them, the low music and chatter around the cafe just melted away.

"Astoria?" Blaine asked and Kurt just nodded slightly, constantly breaking eye contact with Blaine. Then, like a ton of bricks, it his Blaine.

"You...you don't still live in our old place, do you?" Blaine asked but he was sure that at any moment Kurt would start laughing hysterically and tease him for being so gullible. However, it never came. He watched as Kurt fiddled with his coffee cup sleeve and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's really close to the subway." He said as he finally looked up into Blaine's confused eyes. He could tell that Kurt wanted to change the subject, talking about New York was too much for him. So they decided to talk about anything else to take their minds off of the earlier subject; from everyone in New Directions and how they were doing these days to what was going on in Kurt's high fashion lifestyle and they even talked about Blaine's career as a music teacher. Kurt enjoyed listening to him talk about his students and everything that they were doing together. There was a long pause in the conversation, they were at a juncture that they didn't know how to cross. One subject still loomed over both of their heads.

"Anyone special in your life these days?" Kurt was the one to finally break the ice. Trading one uncomfortable subject for another. Blaine didn't know what else to do but to smile shyly and shake his head uneasily.

"Oh no. Not for a long time. You?" Blaine asked quietly, as if the entire cafe had stopped what they were doing and were listening to their conversation. His heart fluttered a bit as he watched Kurt shake his head.

"No." He answered simply. They looked into each other's eyes for a long , silent moment until a ringing went off in Kurt's leather jacket. He pulled out his cell phone and read the text message that he had just received.

"Mercedes just invited us to a club called Temple tonight at eight." Kurt said as he started clicking away on the screen, responding to the text. Merely seconds later he set the phone down on the table with a smirk.

"And?" Blaine asked as he finished off his coffee and set it down carefully beside Kurt's phone.

"I told her we'll be there." Kurt said with a deviant smile.


	10. What Are We Craving?

The rest of the coffee date was quiet and pretty uneventful, if you could even call it a date. They stayed away from anymore touchy subjects and eventually the awkwardness died away and they just chatted about general things. Now, Blaine was back at the motel room getting himself ready to meet everyone at Temple. Blaine enjoyed dance clubs to an extent. He enjoyed going to them every once in a while, it was good for him. To join in with some friends and enjoy the music and dance away anything that was worrying him at the time. The only thing that was worrying him was that Kurt was going to be there and even though he kept his cool at the Lima Bean, he was scared of what was going to happen at that club. He was about to be in a crowded place, full of dark spaces and alcohol flowing around them every which way.

He gave himself a once over in the mirror on the back on the bathroom door; a white v-neck t-shirt and skinny jeans with his usual converse. He left his hair and his ever-growing stubble as is seeing as Kurt seemed to like the look. He told his nerves to calm down, he knew that there was no reason to be flustered over seeing Kurt again. They were not going to get back together, he knew this already but he really wanted to work on building some semblance of a friendship. It was nearing 7:30 and he knew that he had to leave now so that he didn't show up too fashionably late. He called a cab to come and pick him up at the motel and once it arrived, it took him straight to Temple. He arrived at the club with still ten minutes to spare and he could hear the dance music bleeding through every crevice of the bland, gray stone building. He looked up at the faceless building and urged his heart to slow down.

"Blaine!" He heard someone call out from the line of people beside him and he turned to see Kurt. Dressed from head to toe in black and his hair was swept up and away from his face. His cheeks were a rosy pink and for some unknown reason it set something off in Blaine's chest. He walked over and stood next to Kurt in line, getting a dirty look from the guy behind them whom he had noticed was checking Kurt out. Kurt immediately grabbed Blaine's hand and started to tie a bracelet around it.

"So we don't have to pay a cover at the door." Kurt said with a devious smile.

Once they were inside the music nearly blasted them away. It assaulted their ears as they searched the club for Mercedes and the others; finally finding them at a small table that was in the corner of the club. Not too far from the dance floor but secluded from other tables, private. Away from the main crowd at least, they didn't have to shout too unnaturally to hear one another, almost everyone was there that night except for Finn and Rachel. Blaine immediately took a seat next to Santana while Kurt announced that he was going to go and get drinks. He came back a few minutes later with a tray full of shots and began to pass them out to everyone and then handed a Whiskey and coke to Blaine.

"Seems like you're trying to get me drunk Mr. Hummel." Blaine said with a smile and Kurt just laughed it off while he scooted in the seat next to Blaine. All of them took their shots in hand and extended them out towards each other and cheered in unison. Everyone downed their shot and Blaine felt the burning liquid running down his throat, he chased it with his Jack and coke while Kurt made a choking noise beside him.

Two hours and nearly six drinks later the party was still going steady. They had all been catching up with one another, telling funny stories that they remembered from high school and Glee club. Kurt had become increasingly drunk with each and every drink. Every time he would laugh at something someone had said to him he would use it as an excuse to touch Blaine softly on the exposed skin of his arm. Blaine noticed every time and it made of the skin of his cheeks blush red and he could see Kurt out of his peripheral vision, smiling at him bashfully. Although Blaine's mind was hazy with alcohol he told himself that he would let things get out of hand. It will his last night in Ohio though, he wanted to enjoy himself. He didn't know when he was going to be able to see these people again; possibly years. He looked over at Kurt, whose face was flushed and eyes were glazed over and he felt all those high school feelings rush back into him.

A song came on that made Kurt's face light up even more, he looked over at Blaine and smiled. "Come on..." He said as he pulled on Blaine's hand and dragged him out of his seat and started to lead him towards the dance floor. It was insanely crowded, if they hadn't been holding hands they would have definitely lost each other in the mob of dancing people. The heat of the room was nearly overwhelming but Kurt didn't stop until they reached the center of the dance floor. Once they reached the center, Kurt pulled Blaine closer to him by the waist of his shirt. Pulled him so close that their stomachs would brush up against each other every time they moved with the music. At first Blaine was nervous, with his hands just on Kurt's waist but as he kept dancing, and the song kept progressing Blaine began to feel a rush. His blood was practically boiling under his skin as he began to slide his hands up Kurt's arms, looking hazily in the man's blue eyes. With every beat of his heart he felt immeasurable love burst through his veins. He didn't care anymore, there was a beat that was blasting through his body, physically making him vibrate and there was the love of his life right in front of him. Looking at him right in the eyes as his hands slid down Blaine's back to rest on his hips.

Blaine didn't care what the consequences were anymore, for all he knew they were the only two people in the entire club. Just the two of them with their past and the fuzzy blur of lust that he was sure was the alcohol had something to do with. They were now practically up against each other, smiling and feeling the song move them. Kurt's hand moved up and brushed through the silky curls at the nape of Blaine's neck; it was all the invitation that Blaine needed. He rushed forward and his lips collided with Kurt's, the kiss was sweaty and hurried but all of Blaine's emotions were pouring through. Kurt's hands came up on either side of his face and curled themselves in Blaine's supple hair. The harder his fingers curled the closer Blaine pulled them together. Their tongues mingled together and it was heavenly, it was everything that Blaine could remember. The memories rushed around him like a movie stripe and he felt everything moving in slow motion. Before long Blaine could feel Kurt beginning to pull away from him as the song faded into the next one. They stared at each other for a long moment, the scene faded back into reality as if they suddenly remembered where they were. The people dancing around them, the music blasting through the scene and the taste of each others lips. Blaine waited for Kurt to say something but they just stood, staring.

Kurt looked down at his feet almost as if he was ashamed of what they had just done. He reaction awoke something inside of Blaine, he was angry and he wasn't going to take it anymore. He shook his head quickly and walked off the dance floor, leaving Kurt standing beneath the strobe lights alone. He grabbed his jacket off his seat at the table and shouted a quick goodbye to the gang before he stalked out of the club, not looking back. The night air was cool, it chilled Blaine's sweaty body. He was nearly at the corner of the street when he heard someone call behind him.

"Where are you going?" Kurt shouted back at him and Blaine just kept walking. He could hear the soft click of Kurt's boots following behind him.

"Back to the motel!" Blaine shouted back as he continued walking down the street. He stuffed his cold hands in his pockets to keep them from freezing out in the open air.

"Just stop." Kurt shouted back as he tried to catch up to him. Hearing those words, just stop, made something inside Blaine explode. He stopped walking suddenly and turned to look at Kurt. Kurt could barely stop walking quick enough, almost barreling into Blaine. The tip of his nose was red from the cold and his eyes were glazed over.

"So now you care enough to come after me?" Blaine said, his face flushed with anger. "You didn't give enough of a shit about me back then to keep me from leaving you - you just let me walk out!" Blaine shouted. Kurt looked out of breath and shocked by the words that were coming out of Blaine's mouth. He didn't know what to say, he just stared blankly back at Blaine.

"So...Kurt, I'm going to go back to my motel, pack and sleep before my flight tomorrow. And then I'm never coming back to this town again." Blaine said with finality before he turned and walked away.


	11. Clavicle

He unlocked the door of his motel room, finally walking in after the agonizing walk back from the club. The rest of the walk after he left Kurt standing there was miserable, all he could think about was how horrible he felt; he left Kurt alone again. He dropped his motel keys on the bedside table and harshly took off his jacket, draping it across the arm chair in the corner. He could feel the sweat still stuck to the muscles in his back, his white shirt still clinging to parts of him. He was about to peel off his shirt and start up the shower when he heard an urgent rapping at the door.

He opened the door slowly and found Kurt standing on the other side, a slight sheen of sweat on his brow. Blaine was sure that he had followed him back here from the club so he just stood there, in front of Kurt and waiting for him to say something. It seemed like they hung in the moment forever, just hovering over everything that they were longing to say.

"I...I came after you this time." Kurt said with a nervous smile. There was a thick, pregnant silence all around them, like all the static was collecting around them, about to explode. Blaine said nothing, he just let his actions speak for him. He wouldn't have known what to say anyway, all he knew was that Kurt was standing right in front of him; with desperate love in his eyes and all he wanted was him. He reached forward and gently pulled Kurt's face towards him, his thumbs warm on Kurt's frozen cheeks. Their lips met swiftly and it caused butterflies to viciously attack Blaine's insides. He led Kurt into the motel and shut the door behind them, encasing them in silence.

Blaine was the first one to break the kiss, when he opened his eyes and looked at Kurt he could see his adorably furrowed brow, telling him that he hadn't wanted the kiss to end. Blaine untangled his fingers from Kurt's hair and reached down towards his hands instead, looping their thin fingers together. They looked into each other's eyes instead of opting to say words, the vibrations between the two of them were enough. They understood perfectly. Kurt let Blaine initiate the kissing, let Blaine lead him towards the bed, let him linger over him as he laid face up on the creaky bed. Kurt wanted to make sure that Blaine did everything his way, it was the least he could do to make sure that Blaine was conscious of every decision he was making. Realizations flitted through Blaine's mind as he stood over Kurt, watching the man slowly unbutton his shirt. They were older, the color of their eyes muted and their laugh lines more prominent. But the feelings were still in the motions. Kurt pulled off his shirt and his porcelain skin was shadowed perfectly in the lamp light. Blaine reached out and touched his chest, his fingers feather light. The love was there, still in the hitched breathing and quiet affirmations.

Blaine took off his own t-shirt and descended over Kurt, the old motel bed always creaked under their combined weight and lurched with every practiced movement. They fell into the same patterns that they followed eight years ago, they knew how to make each other squirm from just the perfect amount of pressure and knew how to make each other melt as they whispered each other names. They didn't think about how this would affect them tomorrow, all that mattered was the both of them in that moment. The kisses always started slow but ended hungry as their manicured nails dug into each other's shoulders; falling into the same practiced rhythm. Before long, they ditched the slow movements that they started with and just pushed forward to feel the rush of satisfaction that they needed. Both of them had been so lonely for so long and it was time for all of it to end. Blaine's tan fingers slid from Kurt's neck down to the crook behind his knees as they moved together in unison. Harshly whispering instructions into the mattress, the movements increased in time. They muffled each other's names into the pillows as it all came to a rushing end.

The collapsed together in a pool of sweaty limbs, desperate to calm their hearts and minds. It wasn't full of smiles, Blaine wasn't entirely sure what any of this meant. The only thing he understood was the intense need to pull Kurt against him and close his eyes. So he did just that, his arm wrapping around Kurt's waist and tugged his body flush against him. Kurt's body obeyed and they pulled the cotton sheet over their bodies before he reached over and switched off the light, casing them in darkness.

It was a buzzing coming from Blaine's nightstand that pushed him back into the waking world. He reached out for it and realized that it was his cell phones alarm. He had to get up and get in the shower and figure out what he was going to say before he had to leave for the airport. It was time to leave the dream and go back to New York. He turned his body in bed, intending to climb out but something stopped him. The person sleeping beside him stopped him. Kurt was lying on his stomach, his arms stuffed underneath his pillow; his face squished into his pillow. His light brown hair sticking up in every which way; the blanket lying haphazardly across his body, falling just underneath his shoulder blades. Blaine couldn't help but stop and take a few moments to admire him, feelings he didn't know how to control swelled up in his chest.

He knew he had to get up, he had to get back to New York at some point; back to his life. He slowly slinked out of the bed so he wouldn't wake Kurt and went into the bathroom; but not before turning around and taking one last glance at Kurt to make sure he was still sleeping soundly. The shower felt better than Blaine could have imagined, it washed away more than just the layer of sweat off his salty skin. It washed all away all of his fears and concerns that had constantly haunted him over the past eight years; fear of seeing Kurt again. After last night, now he couldn't stop himself from smiling whenever he thought of Kurt and it made him think that maybe things were going to start changing from here on out. He didn't expect Kurt to just leave his life and be with him again, but it was definitely the beginning of something. He snapped back out of his thoughts and finished his shower and wrapped a peach colored towel around his waist. He walked out of the bathroom with a goofy smile still lingering on his face. It fell instantly.

Kurt was gone. The bed was empty and all of his clothes were missing from the floor. Blaine sat down on the arm chair beside the bed and just stared at the spot that Kurt had been sleeping only a few minutes ago. He had been blindsided, he honestly hadn't seen something like this happening. He always thought that if anyone was going to cut and run, it was going to be him again. A million different reasons ran through his mind, that it must have been his fault. He had been to clingy after what they did last night. He tried everything that had happened and that was said between the two of the them last night but he couldn't. The haze of alcohol and adrenaline had muddled his memories. He just kept staring at the spot on the bed; the pillow still held the impression of Kurt's head in its delicate fabrics.

Blaine suddenly snapped out of his daze and realized that he didn't have much time to get ready. He picked up the phone and called a cab to come and pick him up at the motel before he got dressed. He wore a simple black polo shirt and his jeans. About a half hour later the cab arrived at the motel and he was on his way to the Ohio airport.


	12. Something Good Can Work

All he could think about the entire plane ride back to New York was of how unfair the entire situation was. He had thought that for sure this time was going to be different. They were adults now, he thought that they would handle things in a more mature way; clearly Kurt didn't think the same way. He had run away; most likely thinking that what they had done was more and more of a mistake with every step he took. There were a million negative thoughts going through Blaine's mind as the quiet hum of the engines rumbled below his feet.

When he arrived back at his apartment in Brooklyn, he let his suitcase loudly drop on the floor beside his door. He began to unpack but he decided against it pretty quickly, and walked into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror, horrified by what he had become over the years. A broken, sad, lonely man. He couldn't stop his hands from moving as he reached for the nearest shaving razor and cream and spent the next fifteen minutes shaving his face clean. Even with just his scruffy beard gone, he seemed like a new person. However he still didn't want to face his reflection in the mirror - the image of someone who wasn't worthy of love.

He spent the following week in a daze; getting up, going to work and coming home. Barely eating, only speaking when he would have to; at work or while socializing with coworkers, but once he was at home he would just collapse into his bed. Trying his hardest to let life pass him by. What he found after that endless week was just himself, wondering what in the world was wrong with him. What did he have back in high school that made Kurt love him so much that he didn't have any more. After lots of sitting around thinking about everything, it finally hit him; the music was gone. He hardly ever sang anymore and because of this the light had gone out of his eyes. And Kurt could see that in him.

Blaine stood up and went over to his closet and pulled out his old guitar case, he hadn't pulled it out for so long that there was a layer of dust covering it. He rested the body on his knee and let his fingers painfully get used to the strings once again; let them cut ridges into his skin. It stung but it was a feeling that he didn't realize that he was missing in his life. He looked down at the guitar and realized how much he had missed everything. The weight of it. The chill. He was meant to sing about his feelings, express himself through song; something that he was always natural about. It was like a spark had reignited in his chest and he felt the music in his veins. He decided right then and there that he was going to get back into music. He was going to start small, write some new songs and start playing them at local coffee houses and bars that offered an open mic night.

It took nearly a month's time for Blaine to have some completely new and original material on the guitar and the piano. After all of that he was finally ready for his debut gig at the local coffee house about five minutes from his apartment. He paced the perimeter of his apartment nervously waiting for when it was appropriate to leave for the gig when he got a genius stroke of an idea. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and propped it up on his night stand; camera facing towards him as he began to record himself.

"Kurt - maybe you don't want to hear this but... I hope you listen." He said to the camera and then began to strum his guitar and sing.

Nothing goes as planned  
Everything will break  
People say goodbye in their own special way  
All that you rely on and all that you can fake  
Will leave you in the morning, Come find you in the day

Oh, you're in my veins and I cannot get you out  
Oh, you're all I taste at night inside of my mouth  
Oh, you run away cause I am not what you found  
Oh, you're in my veins and I cannot get you out...

He finished the song and looked into the camera for a quick moment before he shut it off. He sent the video to Kurt's cell before he could change his mind. He wasn't going to chicken out, not this time. He packed his guitar up in its case, threw on his jacket and left his apartment. Ready to get back to what he longed for, closer through music.


	13. A Candle's Fire

He stood at the edge of the small stage that was positioned unsuspectingly at the back of the cafe. He drank his medium drip as he watched the first band play their set. He looked around the crowd of people as they walked in, got their drinks and found a place to sit in the cafe. He knew quite a lot of people there, some were co-workers and some were his students. All the childish worrying was suddenly attacking his mind as if he was a nervous teenager, what if he forgot the lyrics? What if he forgot to play an entire verse? What would his friends and colleges think of him? What if all of this had been for nothing? At last it was his turn to go on stage, everything was already set up for him; all he had to do was steel himself, breath in the air of courage and get up on that stage and do it. He walked up onto the stage and sat down at his piano and after a moment of silence, he began to play the first few notes.

I've been alone, surrounded by darkness  
I've seen how heartless the world can be  
I've seen you crying, you felt like it's hopeless  
I'll always do my best to make you see

That baby, you're not alone cause you're here with me  
and nothings ever gonna bring us down  
cause nothing can keep me from loving you and you know it's true  
it don't matter what will come to be  
Our love is all we need to make it through

It was the first song that Blaine had written and he knew exactly the emotional place that the words had come from. The song practically wrote itself and it was the most important that Blaine had to sing. He started to sing into the second verse when he felt eyes burning into him. Not just eyes from the audience, it pierced through all of that. Blaine looked out into the audience as he continued to play the song, meeting a sea of eyes. It took a long moment until Blaine's eyes found him. Kurt. He was standing hidden in the very back of the cafe, wearing a black pea coat with the collar turned up against his porcelain neck. He took a sip of his coffee as their eyes met. They held each other's gaze for a long while until Blaine looked away and continued playing the song; hoping that Kurt was listening closely to the words he was singing. It made him feel anxious and scared knowing that Kurt was now listening to how he felt in the most stripped down form possible.

The rest of the show went off without a hitch, Blaine went through seven more songs. Some were original compositions and some were covers of old favorites. When the final note of the piano sounded at the end of his set he was met with warm applause from everyone in the audience. He walked off the stage and started towards the front counter to get a cup of coffee. As he waited for his drink he was approached by many different people; co-workers and students telling him that the show was "well done" and "cool Mr. Anderson" and as they all went to leave the cafe he was met with departing words and pleased smiles. It made him ecstatically to know that the people closest to him enjoyed his show but the person who's opinion mattered the most was now walking towards him. He had to tell his heart not to flutter, to not smile too wide, to not seem like he was overly excited to see him there. Blaine took his coffee from the barista and turned to see Kurt standing right behind him, he smiled sweetly.

"Kurt." He said softly, it was hard to keep the loving familiarity out of his voice. Kurt smiled back.

"Your show, it was gorgeous Blaine." Kurt said sweetly. At the same moment they both started walking towards the exit, it was easier to have a private conversation in the cool night air than it was in the overcrowded cafe.

"Thank you , I'm...really glad that you came." Blaine said with a small smile, he couldn't help but gaze up at Kurt with such a loving expression. As hard as he tried not to he still loved everything about this man. Love that only increased with what had happened between them on his last night in Ohio.

"How could I resist with the preview performance that you sent to me?" Kurt said with a coy smile as Blaine blushed profusely. He didn't know how to explain his actions, everything that he was feeling that made him send that video.

"Is that really how you feel?" Kurt asked a moment later, breaking Blaine from his thoughts. Blaine looked up into his blue eyes; his eyebrows knitted together. He nodded his head slowly as he felt the bile rising up in his throat.

"Not just because of what happened in Lima. I've always felt that way about you, the feelings only became stronger after I left you in Astoria." Blaine said, his voice faltering a bit as he struggled to get everything out. Kurt had the ghost of a smile on his face as he contemplated everything that Blaine said, and what it meant for them.

"I didn't let you walk away back then because I didn't want to be with you...I just didn't know how to make it right. I never learned how to fix things when they were broken." Kurt said as he continued to look into Blaine's wide hazel eyes. "As terrified as I had been about being alone, I was even more scared of having to fight for what I wanted." Kurt finished. Blaine just stood there in shock of everything that Kurt was saying to him; he thought he was going to have to do all the talking between them. He thought that Kurt had just come to his performance solely to tell him that what they had done in Lima was a mistaken that wasn't to happen again. This, this was not what he had expected to hear at all.

"I was just too...scared to tell you how much I loved and depended on you and it was the worst mistake of my life." Kurt said, his voice cracking but he kept himself from actually breaking down completely.

"Walking away was the worst of mine." Blaine said, reaching out and gently grabbing Kurt's hand. They both smiled nervously at each other, both wondering if this was really happening.

"Look, I know we can't take back anything that we said or did back then but, the time we spent together in Lima was...amazing." Blaine said, all sincerity dripping from his words. Kurt squeezed his hand tightly, letting Blaine know that he felt every word that he was saying and that it was true for him as well.

"Me too." Kurt spoke quietly.

"Are you saying that you might wanna give us another shot?" Blaine asked and Kurt just smiled widely at him. His cheeks blushed lobster red as he nodded.


	14. Stereo Hearts

The next night, Kurt invited Blaine to come over so that they could talk things through with more privacy. Blaine was practically short of breathe because of how nervous he was, he hadn't been back to this apartment in eight years. He walked up to the door and stood staring at the number on the door for nearly ten minutes before he knocked on the door. He knocked three times until Kurt answered the door, he looked immaculate, as he always did. He moved aside and let Blaine walk through the door and Blaine was nearly blow away. It was almost exactly as it had been, as he remembered it. Besides most of the furniture being new and large framed posters of models on the catwalk lined the hallway leading to the bedroom; but it still had the same feeling to him.

Blaine looked around the apartment for a few minutes before he heard Kurt clear his throat. He almost forgot that he was there for a specific reason, it only took a couple brief moments of him in this apartment again for all the feelings he carried eight years ago, to come rushing back. He felt all of them. He had more memories in this apartment than he had ever made in his Brooklyn apartment all the time he had lived there.

Blaine turned and looked at Kurt. Kurt Hummel, they were actually standing in this place, face to face again. It made Blaine's chest tighten and his breath hitch in his throat; the feeling was nearly overwhelming.

"Do you remember what I said to you...back in high school...after the first time we ever..." Kurt stammered and Blaine found it endearing. They took a few steps closer to one another but still there was space between them. As if Kurt was scared to get to close and ruin something; they both wanted everything to be perfect.

"Made love?" Blaine said with a small smile, remembering the amazing night that their first time together was. All rushed breathes and glazed eyes. Feather light touches and stifled giggles. Kurt just nodded his head and Blaine knew that he was replaying moments in his head as well.

"I remember." Blaine said as he closed the space between them and trailed his hand down Kurt's arm, lightly touching his smooth fingers. Kurt looked down at their hands for a instant and everything around them seemed frozen in place. It was so quiet, Blaine thought he could hear the rustle of Kurt's eye lashes and he looked up into Blaine's eyes.

"You were lying there, facing me...all warmth and love and you said..." Blaine was quiet for a moment, he tried his best not to let his emotions get the best of him. He wanted to be as strong as he could at this moment. "...you said, _'I wish I could live in this moment for the rest of my life.'_" Blaine spoke just above a whisper and Kurt just smiled at him. It made him weak in the knees and he wanted nothing more than to lay down and never get up again. Kurt gripped his hand and little bit harder and lead him through the hall and into his bedroom.

The room was covered in a pale pink glow from the lamp near the closet and it warm, inviting. Kurt sat on the edge of the bed and patted the spot beside him; Blaine was by his side in no time. They just looked at each other in silence; absorbing everything about each other. As they should have done in Lima, but couldn't because of the influence of alcohol. A sense of peace washed over them as they gripped each other's hand tight, like they were never going to let go. It was something neither of them had experienced in their years apart.

_Something they were never going to experience again._

The End


End file.
